Method of finishing and straightening flat metal straps.



PATENTED JUNE 19, 190

' w; F. GONKLIN. v METHOD OF FINISHING AND STRAIGHTENING FLAT METAL STRAPS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG 14.1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR.

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N mm WITNESSES. N

PATENTED JUNE 19, 1906.

W. P. GONKLIN. NMETHOD 0F FINISHING AND STRAIGHTENING FLAT METAL STRAPS.

v APPLIOATIONIILBD AUG 14. 1905. I

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' WITNESSES.

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PATENTED JUNE 19, 1906'.

W. I. CONKLIN. METHOD OF FINISHING AND STRAIGHTENING FLAT METAL STRAPS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- 14. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTOR- WlTNESSES.

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=-UNITEDI-STATES PATENT oFm .Metal Strips; and

WILLIAM F. CONKLIN, or. THE WEST LEEGHBURG STEEL COMPANY,'OF VANIA,- A CORPORATION Oil-PENNSYLVANIA.

LEECHBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR To P1TISBURG,-PENNS YL- METHOD OF FINISHING AND STRAIGHTENINGFLAT METAL STRAPS To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. CONKLIN,

Armstrong and State of Pennsylvania, ave invented-a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Finishin and Straightening Flat l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descri tion thereof.

his invention relates to a method of finishing and straightening metal in the form of flat strips; and the' object is to provide a method whereby the'straightening may-be done simultaneously and progressively with the finishing.

In the manufacture. of metal strips or ,bands, and especially those which are to be used for purposes requiring the metal, to have an accurate gage and smooth face, it is the practice to finish by passing the same cold through rolls which reduce it to a e and fin ish the surface of the same. VV g ith all products of this character which can be strictly termed strips or bands -that' is, which are so narrow that they cannot be termed sheetsone difliculty in finishing is due to the curvatures, kinks, or waves im arted to the strip by thefinishin-rolls. T 's-is due either to the fact'that -t e strip as it comes from the hot mill is thicker on one ed e than strips awaved form. [After giving the fin ishing' reduction to such strips it is necessary to straighten the same. Heretofore' this has been done either b attaching the twoends of the strip to suita le mechanism whereby it can be stretched or by passing; the strip under tension over a drum or series of drums, or

when the strips are very narrow by passing them through what is'known as a wirestraightener. These strips generally are several hundred feet inlength, so that the first manner of strai htening the same requires a very long -floor and all manners 1 necessitate comparatively expensive ma- .side elevation of the same, s

thereof in section; and Fig; 3 is an end view chinery and'a considerable amount'of labor and time.

My method has for its object to overcome these objections to former methods of straightening metal strips or bands; and it conslsts, generally stated, in stretching the SIJI'IIP or band simultaneously and rogressive y with the finishing thereof,'this eing accomplished by winding the same on a smoothfaced cylindrical drum which is driven at a somewhat-higher rate of s eed thant ducing-rolls, so as to put t at; ortion o the strip or band between the rum and the rolls forits entirewidth and length un er sufficient tension to' straighten the sa e uniformly. The invention also consists in other features, such as driving the reel yieldingly, so as not to put undue strain on thestrip or band. j

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated machlnery suitable for carrying out my method. Figure 1 is a dia ammatic plan view of such machine F f bowing'portii'ons of the drum and its driving mechanism, show ing the parts thereof in vertical section.

' The reducingrolls' are shown at '1, these being mounted in suitable housings 2 and adjusted therein by means of the bearings 3 and screws 4. These rolls will be provided with suitable'faces for finishing the strip or band and will be driven in any suitable way, the drawings showing coulpling members 5, 0011-; necting the necks of t e rolls with shaft-sections 6, which are connected-by the pinions 7,

and one thereof being provided with a gear 8 meshing with a inion 9 on the power-driven shaft 10.) The attermay be driven by any suitable means, the drawings showing an electric motor'l'l geared thereto, f

The strip or band bein finished is shown at 12. After being reduce by therolls 1 it-will be boiled under sufiicient tensionto stretch the same sufliciently'toremove an bends, curves, or waves that may be forme therein due to the action of the rolls 1.. This coiling preferably will be'do'n e'upon a suitable ree or drum. In the drawings Ihave illustrated an ex ansible "drum- 13,. 'rovided with a Patented me 19,1906.

smoot outer face andjpre erablyformedin f sections, so that'it can be collapsed to permit the withdrawal of the coil therefrom. This drum may be of various constructions and provided with anysuitable means for conlocated between the hub member 17 and a cross-bar 20, carried by the section 15, serves to collapse the reel, while a cam 21, mounted in the drum-heads and bearing against the inner face of the stationary section 14 and the cross member 20, serves to expand said reel. This cam is provided with a suitable handle or crank 22 outside of the reel for turning the same. The section 14 is provided with a slot 23 to permit the end of the strip to pass into the same, and the latter is gripped by means of the cam 21, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. This reel or drum maybe driven by any suitable mechanism. Preferably, however, it will be yieldingly driven, so as .to prevent placing undue strain 011 the strip. A suitable friction-clutch is the best manner of securing this result. As shown in the drawings, the shaft 18 is mounted in a suitable frame or housing 24, and mounted loosely thereupon is a wheel 25, which may be driven from any suitable source of power, such as from the power-driven shaft 10. This wheel is provided with a clutch-face 26. Fixed to the frame24 is a stationary clutch member 27. Splined to the shaft 18 between the wheel 25 and clutch member 27 is the sliding clutch member 28, this having a face 29, adapted to cooperate with the face 26 on the wheel 25 and with another face 30, adapted to coeperate with the stationary clutch member 27 The clutch 28 can be moved on the shaft 18 to en; gage the same with either the wheel 25 or stationary clutch member 27. For this purpose I have illustrated a forked lever 31 engaging a yoke 32 on said clutch member. The lever 31 is provided with an arm 33, carrying awei ht 34, which acts to hold the clutchnormafiy in engagement with the stationary clutch member 27, thus holdingthe reel or drum stationary. In order to rotate the drum, I provide adjustable to gle-links 35, one of which is connected to tie lever-arm 33 and the other of which is fixed. to a rockshaft 36, mounted in the base of the frame 24. Secured to this rock-shaft is a suitable lever or treadle 37, by means of which the togglelinks can be straightened so as to throw the clutch-face 29 into engagement with the clutch-face on the wheel 25, thus drivin the drum with said wheel. Asuitable springatch 38 is provided for locking the trea dle in position to hold the clutch member-28 in en agement with the wheel 25. As soon as the atch 38 is released from the lever 37 the weight 34 will throw the clutch member 28 into engagement-with the stationary clutch member 27, thus quickly stoppin the drum.

It is desirab e to app y compressive force to the strip while being wound on the drum 13. For this purpose 1 have illustrated a roller 40 mounted on the end of a lever 41 which has connected thereto a spring 43, which acts to hold the roller tightly a ainst the drum 13. To withdraw said rol er, a link or ro,d'44 is connected to the lever 41 and to a treadle 45. A spring-actuated latch 46 is provided for locking this treadle so as to hold the roller 40 out of contact with the drum. The drum will also be provided with suitable means for holding it in proper position to receive the end of the strip and also with means for tying or clamping the coil before removal from the reel; but as these are not necessary elements of my method I have neither described nor illustrated the same.

In carrying out my-invention by the app'aratus described the strip or band in a cold state is fed to the rolls 1 and the end thereof then connected to the drum 13. The latter is rotated at a s eed somewhat greater than thefeed of the rol s 1,so that that ortion of the stigp between the reel and the rol sis stretched su ciently tight to reduce any curvatures, bends, or waves in the strip. This stretching and reeling continues progressively during the reducing of the strip, so that by the time the strip is finished by the rolls 1 it will also be stralghtened and coiled on the reel. During the winding of the strip the roller 40 compresses the successive layers firml one upon the other, so that the strip'will e entirely free from any kinks or waves, but will merely have a gradual and uniform curvature due to its winding. Said roller also prevents the strip from s ringin and uncoilmg when the end thereof eaves t e rolls 1. Should the resistance of the material in the rolls be such as to reduce the feed thereof, the friction driving mechanism for the drum will permit the latter to yield or slow down, so that the strip will not be subjected to undue strains.

By the method described the strips are straightened simultaneously with the reduction and finishing thereof, thus doing away entirely with the complicated mechanisms heretofore necessary and also greatly reducing the time and labor incident to the strai htening thereof.

What I claim is 1. The method of finishing and straightening fiat metal strips, which consists in giving to the same a finishing reduction, and coiling or winding the finished strip at such a rate of speed as to stretch the portion between the coil and the finishing device.

. 2. The methodof finishing and straightening flat metal stri s, which consists in giving the same, while co d, a finishing compression,

and simultaneously therewith coiling or winding the finished strip at such a rate of s eed or winding the finished strip with a yielding .pull at such a rate'of s eedas to stretch the portion between the coll and the finishing de- V106.

4. The method of finishing and straightening metal stri s, which consists in passing the same throug finishing-rolls and coiling or winding the finished strip or band at. such a rate of speed as to stretch the portion be- 1 tween the coil and the rolls.

5. The method of finishing and straightening metal stri s, which consists in rolling the same while 00' d to finish the same, and simultaneouslytherewith winding or. coiling the finished ortion at such a rate of speed as to stretch the same and with a yielding ull.

In testimony whereof I, the said ILLIAM F. CoNKLIN, have hereunto set my hand.

WM. F. CONKLIN. Witnesses:

F. W. WINTER, ROBERT C. TOTTEN. 

